"Which part of you isn't threatening?" Laura shrugged. "You're incredibly sexy and part of that is how threatening you are. That I'm aware you want to throw me down and take me hard."

Her eyes were wide and guileless. "I'm just not sure what you want me to be for you. Whether it's a human who you can stalk but is tough enough to cope. Whether it's mostly my heartbeat you like because it makes you feel younger. Or which part of me you want? And whether you're involved in a pissing contest with Carm."

-----

"No I don't think you planned it." Ell shrugged. "And Laura isn't any of those. Which is possibly why you were sent here. Whatever Laura is is incredibly rare. And that means incredibly valuable. As rare as she must be you could probably buy a country rendering her down for ingredients."

Ell shrugged. "Fortunately I'm more interested in an ally. And I know intimately what sort of mess either you or she could make if I became an enemy, and how useful my reputation is. This was the only place that it might have considered safe. And if there are ten types of entity that could open a door like that and I've just eliminated five, isn't that getting closer?"